Lawrence High School - Lawrencian Yearbook (Falmouth, MA)

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usually have large dances at fes- tivals, but Sometimes ' they Shave them on other occasions. The Shamarita is one of the dances. The wealthy people have balls and dinner dances, just as they do here. The ones the poorer people hold are known as Folgas. The country is well -modernized. The schools teach all the latest sub- jects. The boys have organized football teams and enter into the spirit of the game with enthusiasm. There are not many varied oc- cupations. The men are generally either fishermen, fruit-growers, or farmers, but occasionally here and there are found other trades. The men who fish rise about three o’clock in the morning and stay away until late at night. Some- times they are out at sea in small dories for a day and a night just off the coast. Other fishermen come all the way to Newfoundland for their catch in fishing schooners. As the islands are nearly tropical, many luscious fruits are grown there: peaches, apricots, figs, pine- apple, oranges, grapes, tangerines, and some nuts. The islands are noted for their delicious Madeira wines. The best grape wine comes from the Island of Pico. Some corn is raised also but not enough to supply the demand. The Fayal is the biggest corn center, and quite a bit is sent to the Pico. The houses are made of white- washed stone or cement, and prac- tically all have red-tiled roofs which are quite flat. The windows are rather small but numerous. The houses, as a whole, are very pic- turesque. A few churches have some of the most beautiful interiors one could wish to see. The loveliness of Christ Church at Ponta Delgada surpasses all others on the islands. The sun sifitng through the stately stained-glass windows sends a my- riad of multi-colored lights into the church, which is otherwise rather dim,. The .vood-work around the altar is carved, and its beauty is breath-taking. The majority of the churches, however, are rather humble, both inside and out. The statuary is of the lowliest sort, but just by seeing the people flock to the services, one can learn of the great faith they have in the creeds of their own sects. The roads, too, are things of beauty. They are not very winding. They are made of stone, and on each side there are wide cement sidewalks shaded by a kind of palm tree. High whitewashed walls border the roads and give them an air of cleanliness. The Azores also boast of various delightful parks. One at St. Mich- aels is octagonal in shape and is surrounded by huge maples, which in the summer provide ample shade from the sun. Inside, there are dif- ferently shaped gardens with flow- ers of many hues. The white walks are a sharp contrast to the color- ful flowers. On the Island of the Pico is a volcano which towers up into the sky. The island was given the name Pico because of it. It takes four hours to climb this volcano. It has erupted four times within a century or more, but the people are not in fear of it because it is open at the top. It is a memory that lingers long with those who pass by the island at sunset and see the peak standing out against the evening sky and who hear in the distance

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A LAND OF PROMISE Salutatory: — Members of the school commit- tee, our superintendent, our prin- cipal, members of the faculty, par- ents, friends, and schoolmates: We, the Class of 1931, of Law- rence High School, cordially wel- come you this evening to our grad- uation exercises. We are glad, therefore, that these exercises will give us the opportun- ity of expressing our sincere appre- ciation of your earnest efforts and genuine cooperation in making our three years in high school happy and successful. Again we bid you welcome. It is my purpose tonight to tell you something about a small group of islands lying approximately one thousand miles directly west of the coast of Portugal. The Azores are composed of nine insignificant is- lands, the largest of which is fifty miles in length and is named St. Michaels. The next largest is the Pico, forty-eight miles long. The other seven are Terceira, Fayal, St. George, Flores, Corvo, Graciosa, and Santa Maria. First, let us consider the govern- ment. The Azores, as a whole, are governed by a President, just as is the United States. Three governors are elected, by restricted suffrage, each of whom takes charge of two or three of the islands. There are three capitols: one at Horta, in the Fayal, which also takes care of the Pico, Flores, and Corvo; the second at Angra, which is in Terceira, and which also governs St. George and Graciosa; and the third in Ponta Delgada, St. Michaels, which like- wise regulates the island of Santa Maria. Nine different Portuguese dia- lects are spoken on the islands. Each one has its own accent. The people residing oh St. Michaels have the hardest time to make themselves understood by the rest of the peo- ple. In the matter of clothes, the so- called aristocrats dress much the same as we do; but the peasants, as in all European countries, still cling to their traditional attire. The women wear bright-colored ’ker- chiefs over their hair and shawls over their home-made dresses. Some go barefooted, but now almost all dress in sombre shades and wear shoes of some sort. The men wear straw hats to protect them from the usually hot sun. They are a home-loving people, and their daily routine changes but little. They begin the day early and end it likewise. The girls are very adept at almost every sort of handicraft, especially embroidery, by which quite a few make a liv- ing. The boys, too, are rarely idle. They raise their own food. They do not eat white bread every day as we do. It is too much of a treat. They eat it only during festival sea- sons, such as Easter and Christ- mas. They also raise a vegetable known as the yam, a starchy food which serves as either potatoes or bread. It is shaped like an hour-glass and is dug only every two or three years. Only the people that are fortunate enough to have gardens raise them, and the ones who don’t must pay approximately two dollars a bushel for them. Nearly every one of the islands has its own kinds of dances. They

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the sweet strains of the guitar, min- gled with the voices of the people slowly rambling home from work. Longfellow’s description from Hy- erion fits the cause beautifully. “From the neighboring village came the solemn, joyful sounds, floating through the sunny air, mellow and faint and low, all mingling into one harmonious chime like the sound of some distant organ in the heaven.” For several reasons, the people of the Azores look toward the United States as a land of promise. With all the natural beauties of these islands, the economic con- ditions on the Azores are very poor, and there is not much in view for improvement. The people come over here because they believe they can make a better living, but some are so sorely disappointed that they must return to their native coun- try. Others live very well indeed, owning their own home and prop- erty in a short time. In the Azores, men who work at the fishing trade or at day labor receive from fifty to seventy-five cents a day. Some get more, some less. With their very small wages and the high prices, it is small wonder that the people live beyond their means. They raise practically everything they eat, but the other things come to more than they can earn. Be- cause of this pressing need for more wages, they look to America, as do all other distressed countries, as a land in which their needs can be gratified. And the high ideals and standards which they expect to find in the United States are usually found, for America rarely disap- points. Olivia Roderick CELEBRITIES OF CAPE COD As young men and young women of today, we are apt to accept as a matter of course the many advan- tages and privileges which we en- joy and which are the achieve- ments of men and women who have endeavored to give to the world something worth while and beautiful. The literary geniuses have given to us a treasury of information, di- version, and pleasure. Then, the artists of music, poetry, and art give to our spirits the wings to soar above the commonplace in life and the song to transform the realm of the commonplace into the realm of the beautiful. We owe much to those men of science who have simplified the problems of nature and have, to some extent, explained the myster- ies of this universe. It is to them that we are indebted for our in- ventions and modern conveniences. Then there are the adventurous who explore new regions and thrill us with their discoveries and their courage. Also, we should recognize the debt we owe to the apostles of re- ligion. Calvin Coolidge is quoted to have said, “I can conceive of no adequate remedy for the evils which beset society except through the influence of religion.” A brief glance over the past de- cades reveals to us the progress which we have made in civiliza- tion. Education is largely respon- sible for this progress. Through education we have developed a gov- ernment which guides and protects the people within its jurisdiction, because it is managed by efficient and educated statesmen.